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Giving God A Second Chance?

Well, maybe not mulligans. I don’t play golf anymore. Turns out, when I play golf there are not enough mulligans to go around. And besides, golf is boring to me.

I know, I know. Somebody is not going to like me disparaging golf. But I am really not. I wish I could like it. After all, nobody rocks a sweater vest like me!

Second chances and do overs.

Every time we look at those we love and say I am sorry, we are acknowledging wrong and hoping for a second chance, a do over to get it right.

I love second chances and do overs.

Turns out, I find myself often in need of that opportunity.

One of the things that is so hard about death is the loss of second chances. Losing a wife and son was hard. Even harder was grappling with the mistakes of the past–learning to live with the guilt of never being able to say I am sorry and finding a way to make amends, to make it right.

Not that I was a bad husband or father. But, being fully human, there were ample opportunities for bad attitudes, bad days, and the tendency to be less than kind and gracious to those you love.

Like I said, I am thankful for second chances. Being married again (thank you, Becki for sharing my life) has allowed me to really self-evaluate. And that has lead to not making as many or the same kinds of mistakes that salted and peppered my past.

The same tendencies are still there, but because I don’t want to make those mistakes again, I try extra hard to be more self-aware.

The same goes with my children. I don’t want to ever be in the position of wanting to say to my child, I am sorry and be unable to do so.

I love second chances. I love the ability to do some things over–and better than I did them before.

I love the fact that God is a God of second chances. Jesus is a certain indicator of His willingness to give us do over after do over. Humanity obviously needs an unlimited supply of mercy and grace.

And at the very real risk of sounding presumptuous, blasphemous, or disrespectful, I am also glad God is a God worthy of second chances…

Scratching your head at that one? That’s ok, I don’t mind explaining.

You see, for many of us (and probably you too sooner or later), God is also the God of disappointment.
Of shattered lives.
Of questions without answers.
Of prayers unheard.
Of hope destroyed.
Of inflicted pain unimaginable.

Somebody out there is going to argue with me about this. And that’s alright. But sooner or later, they will eventually run headlong into the God who disappoints.

Yeah.
There it is.

I am thankful God is a God of second chances. Even in your pain. Even in your rage. Even in your greatest moments of doubt, God is still hanging in there, waiting for the time to help you see, grasp, and understand His love and blessing again.

Even when you don’t understand or can’t possibly understand, God is patiently waiting for the second chance to help you know his peace. His mercy. His grace.

There is a saying: If you don’t expect anything, you don’t get disappointed. When people have false/incorrect/unreasonable expectations they will be inevitably be disappointed/dissatisfied/disillusioned. The question to me is, how do you help manage their expectations? People have a lot invested in their religion and faith and they often expect a return on that investment (such as asking god to cure their sore throat as you mentioned in an earlier post). How do you teach them to be content with whatever good, bad or ugly comes their way?

Great thoughts Dino! I think that most of us can relate to having false expectations and images of God.

Mostly my giving God a second chance involved changing my perspective about Him. Generally speaking, an abuser should not be given a second chance. If one believes that God is the inflictor of their pain they should not give Him a second chance. Yet if one discovers that they harbored a false image of God then they must do as Job did:

“Then the Lord said to Job, “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”

Then Job replied to the Lord, “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say.”
…
I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

I’m a newbie that got sent here re: Febuary 8, 2013 post from another forum topic that helps out church technical leaders. It was about if background checks were good & ok for every volunteer or just select. Anyway, I’ve read the events. My God! Praying for you now.

Thank you for this post. It hit the nail on my experience. Please keep blogging your journey. Please keep depending on/leaning on the Lord’s side.